Some History of Arthur Village:
Arthur Village was named after Arthur Wellesley, who is better known as the Duke of Wellington. Arthur Village was first surveyed in 1841 by John McDonald and then officially in 1846 by D.B. Papineau. During the first survey in 1841, the population of Arthur was 22 people. Over the next 15 years this number rose to 400 and by 1900 the population has risen to just over 1500. The establishment of saw and grist mills sparked growth in the community. In 1851, a post office was opened and the first church and school were organized. Development was further encouraged in 1872 when a station of the Toronto, Grey and Bruce Railway was opened.
The Arthur Enterprise News, established in 1863, was one of the few non-syndicated weekly newspapers in Canada.
In 1897, Arthur was one of the first villages in Ontario to be served by a power transmission line. There were no meters, but people were charged 10 cents for each lightbulb used. Power was available in the evenings and was cut off at midnight.
In 1906, Joe Sussman and his two brothers moved from Poland to the clothing district in Toronto. Joe moved to the Arthur area and would drive a horse-drawn carriage along the countryside, bringing clothing to people who lived on farms, and also would help out on farms if help was needed. In 1914, Joe settled his store at a permanent location, and the store quickly became popular with people from Arthur and surrounding areas. Today, Sussman's of Arthur is one of the largest independent owned clothiers in Canada.
For more history from Arthur and Area, visit the Historical Society Rooms at 146 George St., Arthur open every Wednesday from 1:00pm-3:00pm.